THE NEXT STEP IN TEACHER DEVELOPMENT

The thirteenth cycle of AHE's three-year Educational Support Training Program began in October 2021 at the Waldorf School of Lexington near Boston, MA, with cohort attendees joining either in person or online. This program will run for three years until July 2024, at a Massachusetts location. In person attendance is preferred for all sessions, but online attendance is an alternative option for the extended weekends occurring yearly in October and April. In person attendance is expected for the longer two-week sessions in July each year. Additional brief online-only sessions are scheduled during some months. See below for the schedule; this table will be updated as more information becomes available.

Tuition for full-time students in the program is $2200 per year. Although this program does not qualify for Federal Student Aid, limited scholarship funds are available. The fee to audit the program is $1700; auditing has no requirements to complete homework, do a practicum or develop a case study, and it offers no financial aid.

For a downloadable document containing more information about the program, click here.

Testimonials from former students:

“Jumping into the AHE training course at the last minute has been one of the best decisions I have made in furthering my understanding of child development, educational pedagogy, and in practical skills to enhance the educational experience for all students regardless of age or current capabilities.”

M.S. Educational Support teacher, Washington state

“The AHE program is essential work for anyone working in a Waldorf school. This is the next level of teacher training. It is not just for Student Support faculty, as the program is readily applicable for use in the classroom with a full class of students. The children who are coming to us today need this work. As a Class Teacher, I have appreciated the opportunity to implement the training in my class immediately.”

Julie B, Class Teacher, Texas

“This training is affording me the opportunity to become aware of the multitudinous layers involved in human development, and how important being aware of the more spiritual layers is in our striving to help children along their developmental path. This is very deep work, for ourselves and for the children in our care. As I begin to see the effects of this work on children, qualitative changes in how they meet and go through their days, it affirms the trust that is put into the efficacy of this training and work. We are given not just the ‘nuts and bolts’ and ‘how-to’s’, but also acknowledgement of the importance of our own inner life, our own empathy, our own compassion, our own objectivity, and our recognition of the sacred gift that these children and our cohorts bring in sharing themselves with us.”

L.N. Educational Support teacher, Colorado

First Year

Module 1
October 7-10, 2021

Understanding Movement
for Classwide Learning Support
with Gerry Lodolce
Waldorf Teacher and Spacial Dynamics® Instructor

Activities for use in the classroom include balance exercises, large motor movements and fine motor activities. Experience moving our own bodies as we learn to observe and understand others' movements. Introduction to the Extra Lesson is also presented.

Core faculty: Connie Helms, M. Ed. and Elyce Perico, M.A. Ed.

Two hour online sessions in November 2021 and January, February, and March 2022

Module 2
April 20-24, 2022

Whole Class Developmental Movement Activities 

Deepening the connection between physical development and Anthroposophical foundations through study and movement. 

Featuring:

  • Whole class activities and games to strengthen balance, coordination, fine motor and numeracy skills
  • Dyslexia and Math, inroads to success
  • Forces at work in community building
  • Learning styles - Learning differences

Core faculty: Connie Helms, M. Ed. and Elyce Perico, M.A. Ed., with Polly Saltet, Eurythmy

Two hour online session in June 2022

Modules 3 and 4
July 11-22, 2022
The First Seven Years
as a Foundation for Developing Capacities

Module 3
July 11-12

Developmental Movement Patterns 

with Stephanie Johnson, MA, R-DMT, LPC Author of Baby Bare

A deep dive into the 6 developmental movement patterns as they pertain to your own optimal integration and building confidence for supporting individuals and whole classes.

  • Guided floor sequencing for your own body
  • Recognizing the completion or incompletion of patterns in young bodies: What does it look like?
  • Relevant therapeutic movement activities targeted for optimal integration for individuals and whole classes: Knowing what to do and when.
  • Communicating what you observe in a child to parents and colleagues: How and when to share your observations about movement patterning

July 13-15

Early Childhood Activities for Healthy Movement

Songs, games, movement journeys and practical activities for healthy physical and sensory development.
Faculty: Rachel Kennedy, Founder, Tree of Life Forest School

Module 4
July 18-22

Building Observation Skills 

     Core faculty: Connie Helms, M. Ed. and Elyce Perico, M.A. Ed, with Polly Saltet, Eurythmy

Building observation skills in our work with individuals and groups. Developing our understanding of the twelve senses with focus on the foundation senses.

Featuring:

  • Strengthening the foundation senses to guide successful learners
  • Extra Lesson concepts as developed by Audrey E. McAllen
  • Extra Lesson activities for individuals and groups
  • Activities to Support Developmental Movement
  • The Six-Year-Old Developmental Observation/Screening
  • Extra Lesson Drawings for Six-Year-Old Developmental Screenings
  • Artistic work for inner development: creative speech, eurythmy, painting

Second Year

Module 5
October 6-9, 2022

Deepening Our Observations in Early Childhood

October 6

Review the Six Year Old Developmental Observation:
Activities and Extra Lesson Drawings

with Elyce Perico, M.A. and Connie Helms, M.Ed.

October 7 and 8

Baby Bare 3rd Module: Primitive Reflexes

with Stephanie Johnson, MA, R-DMT, LPC Author of Baby Bare

  • Primitive reflexes as a blueprint for CNS development (Central Nervous System)
  • How the reflexes guide the Infant Movement Sequence and Developmental Movement Patterns
  • Learn the symptoms of retained reflexes
  • Learn supportive activities for optimal reflex integration
  • Communicating to parents and teachers

October 9

Observations in Early Childhood

with Elyce Perico, M.A. and Connie Helms, M.Ed.

  • Reflecting on observations in early childhood
  • Overview/Review of the Six Year Old Developmental Screening
  • Summarizing our work with the Baby Bare approach

Two hour online sessions in November 2022, January and February 2023

Module 6
April 20-23, 2023

Deepening Our Skills for Teaching and Presenting

with Connie Helms, M.Ed., Elyce Perico, M.A. Ed, and Debbie Spitulnik, M.Ed., Creative Speech

  • Empowering the spoken word with Creative Speech exercises
  • Review of Developmental Movement concepts from the Baby Bare approach created by Stephanie Johnson
  • Group presentations: Understanding the Twelve Senses
  • Six-Year-Old Developmental Observations and Drawings
  • Practical Applications of Extra Lesson activities for individuals and classes to strengthen the physical archetype
  • Foundational themes of the Extra Lesson from Rudolf Steiner’s 1909 lectures: A Psychology of Body, Soul and Spirit

Two hour online session in June 2023

Module 7
July 10-14, 2023

Building Skills for the Extra Lesson Assessment

with Connie Helms, M.Ed., Elyce Perico, M.A. Ed, and Polly Saltet, Eurythmy

  • Overview of the Extra Lesson assessment
  • Administration and interpretation of drawing tasks
  • Comparison to the Second Grade Developmental Screening and Six Year Old Developmental Observation
  • Interpretation and reporting of findings to teachers and parents
  • Review and practice of E.L. exercises, paintings, form drawing

Module 8
July 17-21, 2023

The Spiritual Archetype of the Human Being

with Connie Helms, M.Ed. and Elyce Perico, M.A. Ed

  • Earth Currents and Human Currents forming a Cube
  • Moral Virtues and the directions of space
  • Mirroring and Dyslexia
  • Extra Lesson with adolescents: exercises, paintings, form drawing
  • Case Studies of children and adolescents
  • Case study project for cohort students

Third Year

Module 9
October 5-8, 2023
Consolidating Our Skills

with Connie Helms, M.Ed., Elyce Perico, M.A. Ed, and Debbie Spitulnik, M.Ed.

  • Creative Speech
  • Empowering the spoken word with Creative Speech exercises
  • Consolidating Skills for Assessments and Case Studies
  • Interpretation and reporting of findings to teachers and parents
  • Dominance and Midline Activities
  • Development of the Hand
  • Pedagogical Law
  • Healing Stories introduction
  • Healing Madonna series introduction

Module 10
2023-2024 School Year
Online Sessions with Adam Blanning, M.D.
Understanding Deeper Developmental Needs

Six sessions exploring constitutional polarities relating to sensory development and learning styles, drawing from the second half of Dr. Blanning’s book, Understanding Deeper Developmental Needs.

Module 11
July 8-12, 2024

with Elyce Perico, M.A., Connie Helms, M.Ed., and Becky Rutherford, M.S.

  • Deeper aspects of Extra Lesson concepts
  • Discerning priorities with individuals and classes
  • Review of Earth Currents, Human Currents and the Cube
  • Inner development for working with the Pedagogical Law
  • Observation of the Child revisited

Module 12
July 15-19, 2024

with Elyce Perico, M.A., Connie Helms, M.Ed., and Polly Saltet, Eurythmy

  • Moral Virtues and the directions of space
  • Eurythmy for deepening inner development
  • Mirroring and Dyslexia revisited
  • The Importance of Sleep in Education
  • Extra Lesson with adolescents: pastels and form drawing
  • Case Studies sharing